It’s 11:30 in the morning on a Saturday as we quickly finish our coffee and hop on the bike to set out for one of the best festivals this season. We set a course due North, away from the sprawling capital of modern dance music, into its hinterlands. As houses become fewer and further in between, the landscape becomes greener as we paddle our way over an ever-increasing number of dikes and bridges; a sign indicating we’ve now officially left Amsterdam is overshadowed by a much smaller, bright red & yellow sign below it, pointing us where we need to ... Read more

Taking place from 7 – 8 July, the second wave of headlining acts for 2018’s Kappa FuturFestival have now been revealed. Following the already announced Adam Beyer, Joseph Capriati, Solomun, Derrick May, Ilario Alicante, Luciano and Marco Carola, now Amelie Lens, Apparat, Kolsch, Hot Since 82, KiNK, Larry Heard, Paco Osuna, Pan-Pot, Rødhåd and Motor City Drum Ensemble have all been added…with the festival also revealing its expansion with an extra stage. Full details on this fourth stage are coming, which would bring a total capacity to over 50,000! 7 – 8 July | Kappa FuturFestival 2018 | Tickets | Torino, Italy

Ever since his teens, New Jersey native Kerri Chandler has been making and playing music with a unique sense of soul, jazz and undeniable sense of DEEP. From releaseing on majors like Atlantic, King Street Sounds and Nervous via his own Madhouse label, his work is never short of a genre-defining classic. Kerri’s dynamic, keyboard-infused DJ sets are consistently showcased at the world’s best clubs and festivals, as well as being a frequent visitor, and fan of, many Amsterdam based organizations. On 20 October, Kerri Chandler dropped his edition to the famed DJ-KICKS mix series, structuring it as a musical ... Read more

One of the beauty’s of Amsterdam’s annual Dekmantel festival is the diversity in its annual lineups. Not only does it feature one of the most balanced gender and cultural lineups in the scene, but also always focused on discovery, both as brand and as influencer. This year, the festivals 3 days sees many familiar Dekmantel faces (Antal, Hunee, Palms Trax, Call Super, Marcel Dettmanm, Motor City Drum Ensemble, DJ Nobu, Midland, Floating Points, etc), but it is its slew of debuts and eclectic acts that catch our attention. Here, we’re looking at five of the acts we’re most looking forward ... Read more

After a successful 2016 edition, the highly intimate (1500 capacity) Dekamantel Selectors returns to Croatia’s stunning Garden Resort. Focused on the art of DJing, Dekmantel Selectors 2017 will bring some of the Netherlands based crew’s favorites international stars, underground heroes, and (of course) Dutch heroes to the shores of the Adriatique sea. Full lineup is below and, as you can see, the likes of Ben UFO, Motor City Drum Ensemble, Marcel Dettmann, and Hunee will join Invisible City Sound System, Gatto Fritto, Phuong-Dan and Vladimir Ivkovic and more. Tickets go on sale 6 December which includes the day/night program. Boat ... Read more

The first names of fifth edition of DGTL – the notorious festival that opens our festival seasons in March – have been announced. As usual during the Easter holiday April 15th and 16th DGTL returns to NDSM Docklands, Amsterdam’s historic colossal shipping wharf to collecting the headliner’s of all the following festivals. It seems this year the festival curation is aiming to balance its getting to be built reputation of a heavier techier sounding artists, inviting Motor City Drum Ensemble – the renowned as a selector of grooves (even though still very versatile), the versatile magician DJ Koze or Gerd Janson who will play back-to-back with Move D. However, they ... Read more

The four day affair that was Dekmantel 2016 began on Thursday, 4 August, with a series of opening shows spanning through the spectrum of medium, presentation, and venue, each conveniently situated on the banks of Amsterdam’s IJ River. It all kicked off at the architectural marvel that is The Eye Film Institute, where a series of panels, talks, and screenings went down over the course of a full day’s schedule. From Rush Hour’s Antal speaking with Young Marco and Serge on the deep digging phenomenon and the reissue labels leading the way, to an engaging talk on inspiration vs practice that featured ... Read more

Leading up to Dekmantel‘s 2016 edition and their September Croatian adventure, the festival and Grolsch have just kicked off their “Selectors” Documentary series. The first edition takes an in depth look at Amsterdam’s Red Light Radio and Red Light Records, speaking with the crews behind each. The radio station and “Digger’s Paradise” record shop act as seminal community hubs for underground dance music in Amsterdam, pushing out a passion for music that is unquestionable. Remember, Dekmantel kicks off next week from 4 – 7 August. The Selectors Stage will feature the likes of Theo Parrish, Marcellus Pittman, Donato Dozzy, Lena ... Read more

Croatia is a known summer hotspot for music festivals. Some speculate it has started to lose its charm recently, and most probably if you’re looking for a true rave with one speaker and 50 friends, dig deeper. However, if you look for a place where high-calibre artists, picturesque ancient Roman towns, beach parties, open-air clubs, endless after parties, and legendary sun-kissed boat parties meet together, then its Adriatic coast remains the definite go-to location. Now the tricky part is to know what to look for. For that, follow me here and I will review Croatia’s top underground summer festivals, picking them one by ... Read more

Waving his curls to the beat after his own performance, Danilo Plessow (Motor City Drum Ensemble) stood at the front row of a crowd already hypnotised by the “feel good” vibes of music. I asked him, how did the idea of inviting a live performer from the 80s on the day of his curations at Nuits Sonores – one of the major electronic music festivals in France – come up: “This is where it all started, these are the roots! That is what inspired why and what I play right now!”. Leaping between soul, R&B and funk, no doubt, played by Ron Hardy, ... Read more

Looking across the lineup for DGTL festival, it’s tricky to know quite what to expect. If one thing is clear; no expense has been spared. Even half way down the list, you’re looking at names that would normally be headliners in their own right. If you’re looking for a heavy weigh-in of DJs for your hard earned euros, then DGTL festival is the one but that’s assuming you get as excited about Gold Panda as you do about Adriatique. When you arrive at the site you’re first struck by the sheer size of it. Six prefabricated stages are spread around ... Read more

Oasis festival has just unveiled a huge second wave of acts set to descend on Marrakesch for the events second edition. Welcoming the likes of David August, Dubfire, Helena Hauff, Job Jobse, Leon Vynehall, Lindstrøm, Maya Jane Coles, Motor City Drum Ensemble, Omar Souleyman, Prins Thomas and more, these new acts will join Dixon, Derrick May, Tale Of Us, The Black Madonna, Bicep, Hunee and more for Morocco’s leading electronic music festival. Furthermore, in addition to the lineup, Oasis has taken an exciting step forward and will take place in Marrakech’ luxurious The Source. The private resort is picture-perfect for ... Read more

As we’re heading at a good pace towards mid-July, we’re slowly grinding that boiling point as the third edition of Buiten Westen is awaiting us around the corner. On July 19th, Westerpark will pan out with gusto, carrying over 45 prominent artists from every possible corner of the world. Totaling a number of 6 stages, its organizers loosened things around and brought about three new organizations to host some of their “guest” stages. Among its already established organization, Buiten Westen invited Cartel Amsterdam, NGHTDVSN and ZeeZout to be part of this experience. Over the course ofeditions, DHA will bring about ... Read more

A unique artist is visiting our town tonight. He was born and raised in southern Germany and resides in the Netherlands at the moment. In a few years he has grown into one of the finest and most wanted DJs and producers out there. He toured the entire world it seems, with his signature sound being in high demand across all borders and continents. We’re talking about Motor City Drum Ensemble, and tonight he’s back in Amsterdam for a night Backstage. In the flooded marketplace of DJs, very few have been able to earn so much respect from both the ... Read more